I never seem to get a good night’s sleep any more. What can you tell me about sleep?
Sleep is one key to improvement in CFS, ME, and FM. Without sufficient restful sleep even normal healthy people feel tired, achy, and irritable; so imagine how PWCs would feel!
There are at least 8 characteristics of sleep in CFS/ME/FM. They are:
- Difficulty falling asleep (sleep initiation)
- Difficulty staying asleep (sleep maintenance)
- Vivid or nightmarish dreams
- Early awakening and difficulty falling back asleep
- Falling asleep or day/night reversal (sleep phase shifting)
- Nighttime restlessness (Restless Legs Syndrome, or Periodic Leg Movements)
- Nighttime jerking (Nocturnal Myoclonus)
- Morning stiffness and fogginess (dysania)
Sleep studies reveal that up to 60% of PWCs have abnormal sleep. Perhaps the most common findings are a prolonged latency (difficulty falling asleep), a delay until restorative REM sleep occurs, and a marked reduction in deep and REM sleep (“reduced sleep efficiency”). The incidence of sleep apnea is much higher in PWCs than in the general public. Sleep may be also be disturbed by snoring (either yourself or a bed partner), pesky pets, cramping, hot flushes, dry mouth, and nocturia (frequent urination at night). Sleep disturbances frequently lead to excessive daytime somnolence in PWCS, in addition to the malaise and weakness of chronic fatigue.
If you experience snoring; nighttime gasping, smothering, or breath holding; cramping; flushes; dry mouth, or frequent nighttime urination consult your doctor for solutions.